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Cebu, Philippines
There isn't much action this coming Friday, with only a single notable show from the Philippines. The main event of the card is the only title bout but also features real intrigue as the unbeaten, and highly touted, Jack Tepora (18-0, 13) takes on Indonesian foe Galih Susanto (12-6-1, 2) for the vacant WBO Oriental Super Bantamweight title. On paper this looks like an easy one for Tepora but Susanto has proven to be a tough guy and has been the distance with the likes of Marlon Tapales, Mike Tawatchai and Denkaosan Kaovichit. An intriguing match up will see Kenny Demecillo (11-3-2, 7) face the upset minded Jestoni Autida (9-5, 4). Demecillo will be the favourite, and has mixed with good company facing the likes of Jetro Pabustan, Edward Mansito, Edrin Dapudong and Daryl Basadre, though did suffer a surprising stoppage loss in 2 rounds to Dondon Narvaez. Although the under-dog Autida has been a surprise package in fights in the past and holds wins over Jeffrey Francisco and Ratchasak Kokietgym, and almost Petch Sor Chitpattana back in 2015. Although this looks like mismatch it should vbe very competitive. In an interesting under-card bout we'll see unbeaten puncher Christian Araneta (12-0, 10) face off with the upset minded Philip Luis Cuerdo (9-2-1, 4). Cuerdo is beatable, but has only been beaten by the pairing of Vic Saludar and Toto Landero. Whilst Araneta will be the favourite we suspect Cuerdo will ask some new questions of him here. Also on the under-card is former amateur stand out Mark Anthony Barriga (2-0), who looks to extend his unbeaten run as he takes on domestic foe Rodel Kirk Pelenio (3-1-1, 2) in an 8 rounder. Barriga is tipped as a future star of Filipino boxing, but he will have to show more than he has so far, especially in terms of power, if he's going to reach the heights some have suggested he can reach. Pelenio will be the under-dog but will come in to this one on the back of a 4 fight unbeaten run.
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 Tokyo, Japan
The final Japanese of the month sees attention return to the Korakuen Hall for a small but interesting card with 3 bouts of some intrigue. The main event of the card will see the all action Kenya Yamashita (9-2, 6) look to claim a win over the limited but hard hitting Akinori Hoshino (11-7-1, 8). The 20 year old Yamashita is one of the most fun to watch youngsters in the sport, and although not a world champion in the making he is insanely fun to watch and we suspect that'll be the case again here. Hoshino is a “win some- lose some” type of fighter who has run both Ryuichi Funai and Tatsuya Takahashi very close, but has been frustratingly inactive recently with just 3 fights in the last 36 months. In a supporting bout we'll see Ganbare Shota (12-6-2, 2) battle against Japanese ranked Flyweight Kenta Sugimoto (11-9-1, 1). Shota began his career showing promise, and going 7-0-1 (2) though has since struggled going 5-6-1 as he's stepped up his competition and been found out a bit. However he has mixed with good company and shared the ring with Suguru Muranaka back in 2012. Sugimoto is the opposite and after being 6-7-1 he has turned his career around, helped by notable wins over Tetsuya Hisada and Shunji Nagata in 2015. This is a good match up but not one set to get any attention outside of the hardcore Japanese fans. Another very even looking match up will see Shogo Yonenaga (8-3, 4) battle against Yuji Okinori (8-2-1, 1) in a very good looking Super Flyweight bout. Neither of these two are likely to make a mark on the world stage but they should make for a competitive match up against each other. On paper Yonenaga is the bigger puncher however Okinori has impressed following 3 set backs in a row in 2013-2015.  Seoul, South Korea
For a second day running Korean fans get some action, and this time it features arguably the most exciting fighter to be based in Korea in recent years. That Korean based fighter is Silver Flyweight champion WBC Muhammad Waseem (4-0, 3), the Pakistani born world ranked Flyweight hopeful. Waseem will be defending his title for the first time as he takes on unbeaten Korean Giemel Magramo (17-0, 13) in a really good step up for both men, Both have been earmarked for success and so to see the two facing off really says a lot about their desire and the courage of their respective teams, who clearly don't want to waste more time before seeing how good their fighter really is. It's though that if Waseem wins he will be moved towards a 2017 world title fight, but a win here is far from a foregone conclusion for the “Falcon”. The key under-card bout on this show will see teenager I Hoon Jung (4-2-1, 3) battle against Gyu Won Lee (3-1-1, 2) in a 10 rounder. The bout might not get much international attention but it is certainly a very decent match up and one that should provide some good, hard hitting action. Kagoshima, Japan The more interesting of two Japanese cards comes from Kagoshima and has several interesting match ups, even if they don't feature anything in the way of notable names. The main event of the card will see Naoya Haruguchi (10-7, 4) battle against Thai visitor Thongchai Chaiyonggym (0-4) in a bout that looks like a mismatch, though could prove to be a more competitive fight than it first looks. Haruguchi has shown touches of potential but it seems likely that he isn't going to make a mark on the title scene, however he will be too good for the visitor here. An interesting looking support bout will see Mitsuyoshi Fujita (9-2, 3) battle the once beaten Genki Maeda (4-1, 1) in a really solid match up between two fighters who will be both be looking to claim a win here. Both are limited but both are hungry and they should make for a very competitive match up together. One other notable supporting bout will see Sho Yamamoto (6-7-1, 2) face Ken Kodama (7-2-1, 2) in a match up that promises to be much more competitive than the records of the two men suggests. Yamamoto will be the under-dog but is a very live under-dog here whilst isn't as good as his 7-2-1 record suggests. Aichi, Japan A second Japanese show comes from Aichi where we see a famous name in action and an intriguing main event. The famous name is that of Hatanaka, however it's not former world champion Kiyoshi Hatanaka but instead his son Kento Hatanaka (0-0) who makes his professional debut as he faces Takaaki Murakami (0-2). The bout isn't a big one, and Hatanaka is certainly not expected to be fast tracked to a world title fight, but it comes exactly 32 years after his father's debut and it comes at the same venue as Kiyoshi's debut back in 1984. Whilst Hatanaka's debut will get some attention it's not the main event, that honour will be held by a bout between the heavy handed Takuya Mizuno (9-1-1, 9) and unknown Indonesian hopeful Jundullah M Fauzan (3-0). Mizuno might not be the best fighter but he is very heavy handed and has the potential to go a long way, with his power alone. Fauzan is promising fighter himself but this is a big ask for the travelling fighter here.  Cebu, Philippines
The biggest card of the weekend comes form Cebu and is a stacked ALA card. The main event of the card will see former world title challengers Milan Melindo (34-2, 12) and Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr (31-4-1, 16) face off to crown a new IBF “interim” Light Flyweight champion, and decide the mandatory challenger for current world champion Akira Yaegashi. Melindo, fighting in his third world title fight, should be favoured here but Fahlan has put in his best performances as the under-dog, and the Thai is of course best known for upsetting Ryo Miyazaki. The bout should be a really intriguing one given the match up, and the fact that the winner moves into a world title bout this is an incredibly significant bout. In a support bout will see the world ranked Jason Pagara (39-2, 24) battle former world champion Jose Alfaro (28-10-1-2, 24) in an interesting 10 rounder. Alfaro is a long way removed from his short reign as the WBA Lightweight world champion, but still has power and could still hurt Pagara who has shown himself to be a genuine world class fight. Sadly for Alfaro his only chance is a puncher's chance. Staying with the Pagara family another bout will see the once beaten Albert Pagara (26-1, 18), who was last seen being stopped by Cesar Juaez, take on the tough but limited Raymond Commey (16-3, 9), who we saw lose to Qiu Xiao Jun not too long ago. The bout is a big question of Pagara's mental state, and whilst he should be favoured there is some worries that he will be damaged goods given the way he couldn't see Juarez and was stopped himself as Juarez rode the storm and came back strongly. Commey appears to be very durable and could be a real nightmare down the stretch for Pagara. A really interesting looking all Filipino under-card bout will see former OPBF title challenger Jimmy Paypa (18-3-1, 6) battle the under-rated Jerry Nardo (21-9, 11) in what could potentially help decide a future OPBF title challenger. On paper Paypa should be favoured, especially given that Nardo has gone 2-5 in his last 7, but Nardo can spring upsets at domestic level and this bout could be a banana skin for Paypa. Another good looking all-Filipino domestic bout will see Jeo Santisima (11-2, 10) face recent OPBF challenger Rex Wao (11-3, 9) in what look like a potentially explosive bout between very well matched fighters, at least on paper. One of the most promising Filipino fighters is Kevin Jake Cataraja (4-0, 3) who looks for win #5 as he takes on the more experienced John Kenan Villaflor (6-1-2, 2) on a minor step up, and will hopefully be Cataraja's final bout before being stepped up. Another unbeaten hopeful in action here is the big punching Melvin Jerusalem (10-0, 7), who takes on Bonjun Loperez (10-5-1, 5) in a bit of a stay busy bout for the unbeaten youngster. Batangas, Philippines A second Filipino card of the day comes from Batangas. In the headline bout on this card we'll see a rematched between the experienced Roberto Gonzales (27-2, 17) and Ryan Sermona (19-8, 12), who fight for the GAB Lightweight title. On paper it looks like a straight forward first defense for Gonzalez, who has won his last and 7 bouts, however he was stopped by Sermona when the two men first fought back in May 2012 and Sermona will be confident of scoring a second win over Gonzalez. In an interesting match up we'll see the experienced Al Sabaupan (25-2-1, 20) battle Jheritz Chavez (5-1-2, 3) in a real cross roads. Sabaupan had once been tipped as a world title contender but losses in 2012 and 2013 ended those hopes. Sabaupan has won his last 5 but hasn't shown his early promise in recent years and has only fought twice in he last 25 months. Chavez was beaten last time out but is unbeaten at home and could prove to be a total handful for Sabuapan. Another bout on the show will see Glenn Porras (29-4, 17) battle against the very limited Jayar Estremos (10-12, 4). Porras was beaten just 2 fights back, though that was back in December 2012 and he has did return to winning ways last time out. Estremos is a very limited fighter and it would be a huge surprise for him to test Porras, even with Porras' recent lack of activity. Icheon City, South Korea In South Korea fans will see former world champion Eun Hye Lee (8-1, 3) battle against Thailand's Nongnun Mor Krungthepthonburi (5-3-1) in a bout for the WIBA Flyweight title. Lee was unlucky to not become a 2-weight world champion this year, losing a controversial bout to Nana Yoshikawa. The Thai will be the huge under-dog and we can't see how she wins here. Mexico In Mexico we'll see Japanese born, Mexican based, Shoki Sakai (21-6-1, 13) face off with Jose Lopez (26-6-2, 15) in a really well matched bout. Sakai has suffered back-to-back setbacks, albeit controversial ones, and will be looking to score his second win of the year. Whilst Sakai has been unfortunate this year Lopez had been in a bad run of form, going 1-3-1 in his last 5 bouts over the last 14 months. Click here to ed
Laguna, Philippines There isn't a lot of action this coming Friday but the key shows is in the Philippines. The most notable bout of the day will see OPBF Light Welterweight champion Al Rivera (16-2, 14) make the first defense of his title as he takes on Fellow Filipino Adones Cabalquinto (23-2, 15), in what will be the second meeting between these two men. Riveral scored a surprise 2nd round win over Cabalquinto in November 2015 and subsequently went on to batter Shinya Iwabuchi to claim the OPBF title this year. This will be Rivera's first defense of the title and will also give Cabalquinto a chance to avenge his 2015 loss. This could be a really good bout, or another impressive performance from the monstrously heavy handed Rivera who has stopped his last 6 In the chief supporting bout we'll see the out of form Benezer Alolod (16-8-5, 5) battle against fellow struggler Renren Tesorio (15-8-3, 4) in a rubber bout between the two men. The men first fought in 2014, with Alolod taking a split decision win, then rematched in 2015 with Tesorio taking a majority decision. Since their second bout Tesorio has gone 1-2, suffering a 10th round TKO loss to Daigo Higa, whilst Alolod has suffered back to back losses to Koji Itagaki and Richard Claveras. Victoria, Australia In another title bout involving a Filipino we'll see Czar Amonsot (32-3-3, 20) battle against Kaewfah Tor Buamas (23-0, 16). The bout will be Amonsot's first defense of the “interim” WBA Oceania Light Welterweight title and could see the winner move towards a potential world title fight, with Amonsot holding a decent world ranking. The bout will be Kaewfah's first bout of real note, though he has been scheduled to face other notable opponents, whilst Amonsot will be looking to extend a 16 fight winning run. South Africa Yet another title fight involving a Filipino will see South African Gideon Buthelezi (17-5, 4) defending his IBO Super Flyweight title against Filipino visitor Jonas Sultan (11-3, 7). The bout is a tough ask for Sultan, given he's on the road here, but he has impressed on the road in the past, giving Go Onaga a very competitive bout last year and stopping Tatsuya Ikemizu earlier this year. It's worth noting that Buthelezi has been stopped by a Filipino before, having been taken out in a round by Edrin Dapudong in 2013 it.  Osaka, Japan
The best show of the week, and one of the best of the month, comes on Wednesday when Morioka and Mutoh co-promote a great show with 5 title bouts in Osaka. The “main event” of the show will see OPBF Light Middleweight champion Takayuki Hosokawa (28-10-5, 9) look for his second defense of the title as he takes on fellow Japanese fighter Yutaka Oishi (13-5, 7). The bout will see Hosokawa looking for a much better performance than his last one, a hard fought struggle for a draw with Koshinmaru Saito, however there are some suggesting he is at the very end of his career with injuries and accumulated damage adding up. For Oishi this is a great opportunity to claim a major title, but he will be the big under-dog here. The most exciting fighter on the card is 19 year old hopeful Hinata Maruta (3-0, 2), who looks to make his first defense of the WBC Youth Bantamweight. The talented Japanese youngster will be up against Filipino southpaw Joe Tejones (6-1, 2) in what should be a chance to Maruta to get rounds against a southpaw. From what we under-stand a win here will see Maruta progress towards either a Japanese, an OPBF or a WBO Asia Pacific title fight in 2017 with his team actively chasing tougher assignments. For Tejones the bout is a big step up and it's hard to see what he'll have to test Maruta. The other OPBF title fight will see Middleweight champion Dwight Ritchie (14-0-0-4, 1) make the first defense of his title as he takes on the limited but heavy handed Japanese slugger Koki Tyson (10-2-2, 10). Ritchie won the title earlier this year in Japan, where he defeated Hikaru Nishida, and will be hoping for more success here. He is however up against a very different type of fighter here with Nishida being a basic pressure fighter whilst Tyson is a boxer-puncher, sadly for Tyson he is rather limited and comes into this on the back of a very poor performance against Joon Yong Lee. In a WBO Super Flyweight Asia Pacific title bout we'll see former world title challengers face off as Japan's Hirofumi Mukai (12-4-3, 2) battles Thailand's Inthanon Sithchamuang (30-8-1, 18). Mukai has twice fought for world titles in Thailand, having a technical draw with Pongsaklek Wonjongkam and suffering a stoppage loss to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, and has struggled against other notable opponents like Shohei Omori and Mark Anthony Geraldo. Inthanon on the other hand is best known for losing to Kohei Kono earlier this year, and has suffered other losses in Japan, where he is yet to score a win. At Flyweight we'll see the unbeaten, and genuinely promising, Masahiro Sakamoto (8-0, 4) take on the once beaten Sho Kimura (12-1-2, 6) for the WBO Asia Pacific title. Sakamoto has been unbeaten since his debut back in December 2014, and has won the 2015 Rookie of the Year and holds wins over Atsushi Aburada and Il Che. As for Kimura he was beaten in his debut but has gone 14 fights unbeaten since fighting 3 of those bouts in Thailand. This is the first title bout for both men and should tell us a lot about both fighters. In a notable non-title bout on the card we'll see exciting prospect Naoto Iwai (2-0, 1) take on Filipino veteran Donny Mabao (22-27-3, 4) in a 6 rounder. The bout is a good step up for Iwai, who was last seen beating Juan Purisima in the Philippines, and a win here is likely to see Iwai move into 8 rounders in 2017, with the teenager already showing glimpses of real talent like stablemate Maruta  Tokyo, Japan
To kick off a new week we'll see a small Japanese card, being shown by A-sign boxing. The card, promoted by Yokohama Hikari, isn't a huge one but does have some notable names featured on it. The main event of the card will see OPBF and JBC ranked fighter Kinshiro Usui (26-4, 10) battle against 3-time Japanese title challenger Hiroyasu Matsuzaki (22-7-2, 11), who is returning to the ring following a long break from the ring. Usui will be favoured here, but he is 36 and will know that another loss here will be the end of his hopes to become a Japanese champion before the end of his career. Matsuzaki hasn't won in over 3 years and it'd be a surprise to see winning here given his long stretch of inactivity. In a supporting bout former world title challenger Daiki Kaneko (24-5-3, 16) will be facing a limited Thai opponent, with Kaneko seeking a 4th straight win. The tough Kaneko is rebuilding towards a second world title fight but is a long way from such an opportunity and certainly needs to start stepping up his competition in the near future rather than fight in more stay busy type contests. Another supporting bout will see Japanese ranked Lightweight Ryusei Nakajima (9-1, 3) battle against Keisuke Ota (9-10, 2). Coming in to this Nakajima is riding a 7 fight winning run and will be hoping to keep that run going as he edges towards a title fight. Ota has won just 2 of his last 8 bouts and won't be expected to win here, but could well be a better test than he looks on paper, and his record is certainly a misleading one.  Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Attention turns to the Vietnamese city of Hi Chi Mihn this coming Sunday for a rare Vietnamese professional card, which pits Japanese fighters against locals in an interesting show that could spark some life in the sport in the county. One of the bouts will see Ryo Hino (8-1-1, 4) take on Phan Van Hien (0-0), who's record is likely incomplete. The bout will be the main event of the card in terms of competitive fights and should be a better bout than we think looking at the inexperience of Hien, who we believe is a top amateur in Vietnam. Another bout will see Masayuki Sakurai (3-10-3) take on Tat Hoang Thanh (0-0) who againwe believe is more experienced than his record suggests. This card will also feature an exhibition featuring an OPBF female champion.  Metro Manila, Philippines
The only Asian card of the day comes from the Philippines. The most significant bout of the card will see former 2-time world title challenger Jonathan Taconing (22-3-1, 18) look to bounce back from his recent loss to Ganigan Lopez, as he takes on the heavy handed Salatiel Amit (9-1-2, 7) for the vacant WBC International Light Flyweight title. Taconing is a bull in the ring and it's hard to see him losing here to Amit, however the 24 year old Amit will know that a win will put him in the mix for a world ranking and may well meet fire with fire, potentially leading to a war. Recent Kosei Tanaka victim Rene Patilano (15-2-2, 7) also returns to the ring following a loss, with the twice beaten Patilano taking on domestic journeyman JC Francisco (6-13-5, 2) in a key supporting bout. Patilano was made to look poor against Tanaka but this bout should be an easy win for the former world ranked Light Flyweight. Francisco is win-less in 10 bouts and is unlikely to change that here. Another fighter looking to bounce back from a loss is Wilbert Berondo (10-1, 4), last seen being stopped by the sensational Hinata Maruta. The once beaten Berondo will be facing off with Robin Dingcong (3-3-2, 1) in what looks like an easy return to the ring for Berondo, who was made to look very poor against Maruta, though it does seem like Maruta will make very good fighters look average in the years to come. Connecticut, USA The most significant bout, at least in terms of the world title scene, comes form the US where Japan's Ryosuke Iwasa (22-2, 14) battles the unbeaten Luis Rosa (22-0-0-2, 10) in an IBF Super Bantamweight world title eliminator. The winner of this will be particularly interested in the December 30th bout between Jonathan Guzman and Yukionori Oguni, and may well find themselves facing the winner of that bout next year. It's a major test for both and is a really good match up, worthy of it's eliminator status. Nevada, USA Staying in the US there are several Asian fighters in action on the Nevada card, headlined by Sergey Kovalev's bout with Andre Ward. One of those bouts will be a battle of unbeaten men as American based Uzbek Botirsher Obidov (6-0-1, 2) risks his record against Russian puncher Bakhram Murtazaliev (6-0, 4). This is a notable step up for both men and should prove to be a great test for both fighters, who have got a lot of questions to answer still. The other Asian is debuting Kazakh Meirim Nursultanov (0-0), who looks to make his first mark on professional boxing as he takes on the limited Henry Beckford (4-5,1) in a 4 rounder. Tasmania, Australia There is also notable action in Australia where unbeaten local Luke Jackson (12-0, 5) takes on Filipino visitor Silvester Lopez (27-11-2, 19). Coming into this Lopez is on a bit of a run having won his last 3, but has been inconsistent in the last few years going 8-8-1 in his last 17 bouts. A former world title challenger Lopez was one a threat at 115lbs but is now fighting well above his best weight and should be too small to really test Jackson, but may have the power to hurt the local favourite. Victoria, Australia In less significant bouts in Australia we'll see Brent Dames (3-2) battle against Australian based Thai Paitoon Jaikom (5-22, 2) and the unbeaten Kayne Clarke (1-0, 1) take on Arnon Yuchareon (1-15-2, 1) in two less than great match ups.  This coming Friday is a relatively quiet day, unless you;re a Filipino fight fan with Filipino's fighting across the globe.
Southern Leyte, Philippines The headline bout of a card in the Philippines will see upset minded Adones Aguelo (26-14-2, 18) battle against the very limited Rodel Wenceslao (11-12-1, 4) in a bout for the Asian Boxing Federation Lightweight title. Although Aguelo's record is a less than flattering one he has proven his ability numerous times and was very unlucky last year against Will Tomlinson, and has been unfortunate in other bouts. With what we know of both men it's hard to see Aguelo not picking up the win here. London, United Kingdom In the UK we see another Filipino in action as the once beaten Jake Bornea (11-1, 5) takes on touted Welshman Andrew Selby (6-0, 4). For Bornea the bout serves as a chance to make a name for himself internationally however he will be a serious under-dog against the brilliantly talented Selby, who is a former amateur standout and a man tipped for major success in the years to come. For both men this looks to be a step up and it's a great match up for the IBF Inter-Continental Flyweight title, which should potentially open the doors for the winner to face Johnriel Casimero for the world title next year. Ekaterinburg, Russia There even more Filipino action with a trio of Pinoy's fighting in Russia. The most notable of those bouts involving a Filipino will see unbeaten Russian puncher Magomed Kurbanov (8-0, 7) face veteran Dennis Laurente (50-7-5, 30) in a bout for theWBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Super Welterweight title. Laurente, fighting for the first time since losing the OPBF Light Middleweight title to Takayuki Hosokawa, has lost his last two and will know that he cannot afford another set back here. At Lightweight we'll see Pavel Malikov (8-0, 2) take on the visiting Carlo Magali (20-8-3, 10) for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Lightweight title. A loss for Magali would be a second successive defeat for the Filipino, who was stopped by Emmanuel Tagoe earlier this year. Russian fighter Malikov is looking for his first defense of the title, after winning the belt earlier this year when he stopped Filipino Leonardo Doronio. In the third bout we'll see Russian based Tajik Shavkat Rakhimov (6-0, 4) take on Pinoy Jerry Castroverde (9-3, 5) in a bout for the vacant WBO Youth Super Featherweight title. The bout looks like a tough one for the Filipino but Rakhimov has shown flaws and certainly isn't unbeatable, which should fill the Filipino with some hope here. |
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